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If there’s anything that people who TRY to eat healthy know, it’s that sometimes, you just gotta treat yo self (as they say on Parks & Rec). Right now I’m obsessed with this healthy dupe for a creamy, frothy and utterly delicious milkshake – I know you’ve been dreaming about it too. It’s made with all clean-eating ingredients, ranks in around 320 calories, and takes about 30 seconds to make. It seriously tricks your taste buds into believing you’re drinking a milkshake. You should be getting really excited right about now.

Having just returned to school after a diet-busting spring break filled with fried shrimp, whipped cream, carrot cake and of course piña coladas (I was in Destin after all!) I felt like making myself something lean, clean and green. I’ll credit my mom as my source of inspiration for this recipe – one of my favorite dishes as a kid was her olive oil roasted veggies (yes, maybe I am a little strange). But seriously, I love roasted veggies – they’re SO healthy for you and easy to make. Now you can eat and taste the rainbow…while actually having something that’s good for you and your waistline! (sorry Skittles)

Here’s what you’ll need:

5 TBSP EVOO (or extra virgin olive oil spray to cut out extra fat)

4 TBSP red wine (I used Malbec)

1 TBSP dried rosemary (or fresh)

4 large cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

veggies to your liking!

MAKES 5 servings

This recipe is great because you can make it so many different ways. Choose the veggies that you prefer and start by chopping them up. Just to give you an idea, I used 6 large carrots, 1/2 carton of mushrooms, 5 stalks of asparagus, 1/2 sweet onion, 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, 1/4 red onion and 1 small zucchini. A recommendation I have if you use onions is to cut them in semi-circles as opposed to dicing, I just think it tastes better. Baby carrots would also be great in this, I just happened to have large ones!

Now comes the fork in the road. You can choose to make a beautiful rainbow array of veggies (like I did) or the faster route.

If you’re pressed for time, mix all of the ingredients (olive oil, wine, rosemary, garlic, salt & pepper) in a large bowl and add in all of your veggies, coating them with the mixture. Then pop them into the oven at 375 for 20 minutes, switching your oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to add a bit of crispiness.

However, if you need more color coding in your life, start by mixing the olive oil, wine, rosemary, salt & pepper in a large liquid measuring cup. Start by pouring out a little of the mixture (about 1/8th of the total) at a time into a separate bowl. Add the first “layer” of veggies and coat them in the dressing. Then line them up on a baking sheet and repeat until the sheet is covered!

Voilá! The perfect roasted veggies – I love eating these as a light lunch, a side with dinner, in a salad, or even with pasta and a little extra olive oil. If you’re looking to cut down on fat content, instead of using regular olive oil, you could use olive oil spray (no mixing bowl required – just drizzle the wine on top of the baking sheet and spray!) Enjoy!

If you ask me what the most important meal of the day is – I’m going to tell you breakfast. No matter how much you hate eating in the mornings, waking up early, or breakfast food in general, you still need to eat! So many people don’t realize that skipping breakfast actually makes you gain weight instead of losing it. Feed yourself something that will boost your metabolism & energize you all day long! With this goal in mind, I came up with this tasty smoothie that will kick your morning metabolism into gear! Plus, since all you need is a blender, even the sleepiest of morning zombies can’t mess this recipe up 😉

Blend together all the ingredients & you’re done! I sprinkle the cinnamon on top, but you can also blend it along with everything else. If you’re not adding protein powder, I would recommend adding stevia or honey to sweeten it up.

Here’s why this smoothie is a lean, clean, metabolism-burning machine:

I’ve never really been into the idea of protein powder because I always associated it with lots of unnatural chemicals that were being used to bulk up the body. However, perfect fit is made with USDA organic brown rice protein & stevia. There’s nothing unnatural about it and it tastes pretty darn good as far as protein powders go. Protein is so important because it doesn’t just aid in muscle repair, but lean protein has been shown to help with weight loss – so don’t shy away from it!

Try out this metabolism booster for yourself & let me know what you think! Thanks for visiting & be sure to subscribe for more healthy lifestyle tips if you haven’t already!

As I was perusing the produce section at HEB I got inspired after I found some good-looking squash and zucchini. They’re some of those vegetables that nobody likes raw but when cooked right are absolutely delicious. I made them my favorite way – with goat cheese & garlic (even the boyfriend who HATES squash & zucchini admitted this was good). This is such an easy side dish to make and is also great to serve with your favorite whole grain pasta for a healthy meal.

You’ll Need:

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 c. yellow squash and zucchini, sliced

2 1/2 tsp. EVOO

salt & pepper

1 oz. goat cheese

*MAKES 1 serving

I bought my veggies pre-sliced so if you need to slice up your vegetables do so. Pour the EVOO into your skillet and put it on medium-high. Add the veggies and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and salt and pepper to your liking (I find these are great with lots of pepper). After a few more minutes, once the veggies are turning a golden color, take them off the heat and top with about an ounce of crumbled goat cheese. Voilá! Absolutely delicious.

The first time my mother brought home herbs de provence from the store I was in love. In my opinion it’s the perfect blend of spices – plus it’s fun to say since it’s French and doing so makes you feel sophisticated 😉

Inspired by my own hunger and the ingredients in the fridge, I came up with this low-calorie recipe that is healthy, easy, and full of flavor!

Ransack your kitchen for:

3 chicken breasts

3 tsp EVOO (you can also use canola oil)

2 tsp herbs de provence

2 stalks celery, sliced

1/2 large onion (or 1 small one), sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

salt & pepper

1/4 cup of red wine

*MAKES 3 SERVINGS

First, season each chicken breast with herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Next, add the olive oil to your pan and once it’s warm, place the chicken in the skillet. Meanwhile, slice the onions, celery and mushrooms. Once sliced, add the celery and onion to the pan.

Continue to cook the chicken and once it is no longer pink, add the mushrooms, red wine and minced garlic.

Cover the skillet with a lid and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken has fully cooked and soaked up the wine flavor.

This recipe is super easy and all of the flavors compliment each other so well. To top it all off, it’s only 288 calories a serving! One of my favorite things about this chicken is that it comes out so tender – by letting it simmer in the wine it soaks up a lot of flavor!

All I can say is yum. Serve it with your favorite blend of quinoa, brown rice or whole grain couscous! Eat up & enjoy!

I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for a while, and I finally got around to making it! It’s my Chocolate Energy Balls! These are a great post-workout snack or a snack for when you’re in dire need of something sweet. I honestly crave these more than cookies sometimes.

Energy Balls…ZING!

These are so simple to make and are actually good for you! Here’s what you’ll need:

3 TBSP peanut butter (I like the Central Market brand)

1/3 c. old fashioned oats (or whatever kind you prefer)

30 dark chocolate chips (about a handful)

1 TBSP ground flax seed

1/8 c. golden raisins

1 tsp. honey

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

MAKES about 9 energy balls (about 3 servings)

Start by throwing all the ingredients in the bowl – at the same time. Couldn’t be easier.

Mix Em’ Up

Stir it all up and then shape into balls. That’s seriously it, you’re already done. You can pop them in the fridge or eat them right now.

Shape Into Balls

I know these aren’t exactly the most photogenic snack…but trust me, if you love chocolate and if you love peanut butter, these will rock your world. Although this recipe isn’t fat free by any means, your body does need some fat & that’s why these are perfect after a workout or long day. They have fiber and protein and not a single ingredient in them is bad for you. Each ball has about 70 calories, so you can eat a few without feeling bad!

If you’re feeling adventurous you could add in cranberries instead of raisins, add chia seeds, or put some instant coffee powder in there to really get your energy going. This recipe is so fun to make because you can put your own spin on it & it will always taste great! Enjoy!

I am SO very excited to be sharing with you my first blog post. This recipe is one of my favorites because it’s not only healthy, but flavorful and delicious. I came up with this recipe like most all of my recipes – because I had a random assortment of ingredients in my pantry (it’s my own little version of an Iron Chef challenge). I’ve also been on a pineapple-mango-coconut milk kick lately because I’m ready for summer & like to pretend I’m in the Caribbean.

This recipe can be made as a side or a main course, but I prefer to serve it as a side with this AMAZING tilapia recipe by Bobby Dean (make it with olive oil instead of butter to be healthier).

I also decided to pair this recipe with a Sauvignon Blanc (which I’ve never had before) called Procrastinate. Obviously I was attracted to its name after just finishing my final exams and getting done with school! Now I’m allowed to procrastinate a little 😉 The wine was actually surprisingly sweet (meaning I could drink it) since I normally only like super sweet wines like moscato.

As for the Quinoa salad itself, it’s not too difficult to make, the ingredients you’ll need are:

1 c uncooked whole grain couscous or quinoa

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks (in its own juice, no sugar added)

2 green onions

1 small red onion diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 deseeded habanero pepper

1/2 package mushrooms, sliced

1/2 lime

1 Tablespoon EVOO

salt

pepper

chili powder

YIELDS 3 SERVINGS AS A MAIN DISH OR 6 SERVINGS AS A SIDE

The first step is to follow the instructions that come with the quinoa or couscous of your choice. While the quinoa is cooking, dice the red onion and add it to a skillet on medium with 1 TBSP of EVOO. Next add the sliced mushrooms and 1 clove of minced garlic.

Then, slice up the habanero pepper (WEAR GLOVES, TRUST ME) into tiny pieces, and deseed unless you prefer it spicy like myself. Add the habanero to the skillet. Once the onions have caramelized and the mushrooms have softened, drain the canned pineapple & coat the chunks in about 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, but add more to taste. Then add the pineapple to the skillet with the other ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes until pineapple softens a bit.

Now add some salt & pepper to taste, mix the skillet ingredients & quinoa together & squeeze 1/2 fresh lime on top & stir. Top with 2 sliced green onions and dinner’s done!

Not only is this recipe healthy, easy & delicious – one side serving ranks in at only 188 calories! (So that means more than one helping is encouraged!)